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Nigel Farage has said the UK Independence Party is fighting for its future after MEPs raised fears that the lure of Theresa May’s Conservative Party is threatening the long-term existence of the party.

The party has been hit by a crisis after Steven Woolfe, the front runner to be the party’s new leader, was taken to hospital after an “altercation” in the European Parliament with Mike Hookem, another Ukip MEP.

That came after a meeting called by MEPs who were furious that Mr Woolfe had admitted he was “enthused” by Mrs May and her policies, in a statement earlier this week announcing that he wanted to stand to succeed Diane James as party leader.

Mr Woolfe said that Mrs May’s policies had prompted him “as it did many of my friends and colleagues, to wonder whether our future was within her new Conservative Party”.

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that the Conservatives were hoping to be able to announce the defection of Mr Woolfe shortly after the party’s annual conference ended this week, in what would have been a major coup for Mrs May.

Mr Hookem described himself as a "63-year-old portly grandfather" and said his altercation with Mr Woolfe had been "girl on girl, handbags at dawn".

He denied claims by Mr Woolfe that he "came at me and landed a blow" and said he had accepted a "hand of friendship" from his colleague after the incident.

Mr Hookem said the party could not afford to lose another leader after Diane James stepped down after just 18 days in office for family reasons.

He said: “Some of us were concerned that we could not afford another party leader to jump ship and join the Tories - the meeting was called for Steven to explain himself, which he did.”

Nigel Farage and his team of Ukip MEPsCredit:
Bruce Adams/ANL/REX/Shutterstock/Bruce Adams/ANL/REX/Shutterstock

Gerard Batten, one Ukip MEP, demanded to know who started the talks between Mr Woolfe and the Tories, and who else was at the meetings.

He said: “The vast majority of Ukip members would be appalled at the prospect of doing any kind of deal with the Tory Party. They have betrayed our country to the European Union over the last 43 years.

“We have no reason to trust Theresa May, who was an enthusiastic enforcer of EU legislation as home secretary and who campaigned for Remain in the referendum.”

Mr Farage said Ukip was now facing the biggest crisis since he became leader in 2010.

He said: “We are at a very serious pass. Either we leave ourselves in the hands of professional career politicians who can manipulate willing naïve volunteers or we professionalise this party and make it more hard-nosed and be a mass movement. That is the choice we face.”

Mr Farage is backing plans for an “abolitionist” slate of modernist candidates to overhaul the ruling National Executive Committee, which many blame for Ukip’s problems and wants Ukip to become like Italy’s popular Five Star movement.

He said: “Unless Ukip can move away from control by amateurs, it is never going to get itself into the right position for 2020. Reform or go nowhere. Unless something happens to the party’s structure, Ukip will diminish.”

Prof Matthew Goodwin, the pollster with close links to Ukip, admitted there were concerns that “post-referendum the party is going to completely disintegrate”, adding that “Theresa May is going to be a formidable opponent for the UK Independence Party”.